ABSTRACT
Building on the way in which in the early 1980s the Subaltern Studies criticised the elitism of the historiography of colonial India, this chapter makes a critique of what the author calls the ‘nationalist historiography of documentary films’ – a history written by filmmakers themselves. Juxtaposing various archival sources with this dominant historiography, this chapter looks for other possible historical interpretations that would be useful in making sense of contemporary practices of filmmaking in relation to their colonial past. In particular, it analyses how Foucauldian ‘discourses’ about the colonial period have been affecting contemporary perceptions of the past. It pays particular attention to publications edited by filmmakers themselves from the first years of Independence up to the early 1990s and it juxtaposes with these narratives other documents, including the Report of the Indian Cinematograph Committee, 1927–1928 and the Indian Cinematograph Committee Evidence, 1927–1928, as well as other scholarly material. From this juxtaposition the chapter proposes an alternative look to the development of documentary film practices in India with focus on cultural performances. Also, it reconsiders the politics and mission of documentary film in the colonial period through analysis and reflections on the disappeared Gandhi’s film, collaboration with influential international filmmakers such as Robert Flaherty and the central roles of influential personalities in colonial institutions such as the FAB and the IFI.
